192 
PROGRESS OF MICROSCOPICAL SCIENCE. 
worth finds these interesting crystals in the anthers of Smilaccre, 
Nyctaginacere, Onagraceas, Balsaminaceas, and Hydrangea; and all 
these plants have long since been described as raphis-bearers by 
Professor Gulliver, except the last, in which we believe this character 
was originally discovered by Mr. Edgeworth. It is remarkable, 
because the Saxifrages, under which Hydrangea is commonly placed, 
are devoid of raphides ; but Lindley had already separated it from 
that order, and as now appears not without another fact in proof of 
its want of affinity or identity therewith. Another osculant or aber- 
rant genus, Trapa, usually included under Onagraceas, Mr. Edgeworth 
finds destitute of raphides, and therefore agrees with Lindley that it 
belongs rather to the ex-raphidiau group of Halagoreae, and the more 
so as the pollen of Trapa is quite different from that of the true 
Onagracese. 
Of a work so meritorious and full of valuable facts, all too 
depicted to a scale, so that he who runs may read, it might seem 
invidious to hint at faults. But we cannot help expressing some 
disappointment at the want of instructions as to the best means of 
examining the structure of the pollen, and especially of promoting the 
extrusion of the pollen-tubes. Recently the nectar of flowers has 
been recommended for this purpose, and the author’s experience on 
this point might have been useful, especially if extended to other 
fluids, such as glycerine and saline solutions. The references to the 
figures and letters on the plates are too often incorrect and perplexing ; 
and in a science of which the terms are so multifarious and oppressive, 
we have a right to expect, in one book at least, uniformity in their 
orthography. At the head of the list, p. 9, we have “ Exogens,” 
although the plants there are Endogens. In the measurements the 
numerator is constantly varied, while the denominator is fixed 
arbitrarily at 6000, which is by no means so simple a method of 
expressing vulgar fractions as the more common use of unity as an 
invariable numerator. But these, excepting the gross and incon- 
ceivable blunders in the explanations of the last and a few of the 
other plates, are small matters, scarcely affecting the high value of 
a work which is very creditable to its author and British botany. 
PROGRESS OF MICROSCOPICAL SCIENCE. 
Bate of Coral Growth . — The means of ascertaining this has been 
lately supplied both in Australia and Europe. In the latter it has 
been shown in a paper which Dr. Duncan has issued in a recent 
number of the ‘Proceedings of the Royal Society’ (No. 180). But it 
has also been observed in New Holland, as the following quotation 
from a Melbourne paper will show. A remarkable piece of coral, taken 
off the submarine cable near Port Darwin, is spoken of by the 
‘ Cocktown Herald.’ It is of the ordinary species, about 5 inches in 
